JP2014531387A - Thin glass manufacturing method using support substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a display panel from a thin substrate (100, 200, 200 ') using a support substrate (102, 304, 304') is disclosed. The method includes depositing an adhesive (101) on a first surface of a thin substrate (100, 200, 200 ′), an adhesive (103 on a second surface of a support substrate (102, 304, 304 ′). ), A thin substrate (100, 200, 200 ′) and its supporting substrate (102, 304, 304 ′) with adhesives (101, 103) deposited on the first surface and the second surface. A step of bonding, a step of performing a thin film process on the third surface opposite to the first surface of the thin substrate (100, 200, 200 ′), and a thin substrate (100, 200, 200 ′) on which this process is performed Separating the substrate from the support substrate (102, 304, 304 ′). The thin substrate (100, 200, 200 ′) has a thickness that is thinner than necessary to withstand a thin film process, while being bonded to the thin substrate (100, 200, 200 ′) and the supporting substrate (102). , 304, 304 ′) is greater than the required thickness.

Description

  This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 234,072 (filed September 15, 2011) and International Patent Application PCT / US12 / 54886 (filed September 12, 2012). Is incorporated herein by reference.

  The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of circuit panels such as display panels for electronic devices, and more specifically to a method for producing a thin glass sheet by bonding to a support substrate.

  In recent years, mobile electronic devices have become widespread due to their portability, versatility, and ease of use. There are many different types of mobile electronic devices such as smartphones, portable music / video players, and tablet personal computers (PCs) currently on the market, many of which share some basic components. . In particular, many of these devices include displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. This display can be partially or fully disposed on the back side of the touch sensor panel to form a touch screen, which is widely adopted as an input device in various types of mobile electronic devices.

  Mobile electronic device displays typically include a display panel, which can be made of glass or other suitable transparent substrate. In order to minimize the overall weight and thickness of the device, it is desirable to make the display panel of the device as thin as possible. Nevertheless, the thinness of the display panel is limited by the minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment. Display panels are typically manufactured from a transparent substrate such as a glass sheet. Glass sheets that are too thin may not be compatible with manufacturing equipment and / or may be too brittle to withstand the rigors of the manufacturing process. Many existing manufacturing facilities can only process glass sheets (or other similar transparent substrates) with a minimum thickness of 0.5 mm, for example. Glass sheets thinner than this minimum thickness can be handled with this facility, but yield and manufacturing capacity can be limited. Thus, existing display panel manufacturing processes often require a thinning step that reduces the thickness of the display panel after most of the other process steps are performed. However, if a defect occurs during the thinning process and the display panel becomes unusable, all thinning preliminary processes for that panel may be wasted, potentially resulting in display panel manufacturing. May increase overall cost. It is therefore desirable to be able to manufacture display panels directly from thin glass.

  The present invention relates to the manufacture of thin display panels. As mentioned above, existing equipment for manufacturing display panels is designed with a minimum thickness tolerance of about 0.5 mm. This is because the glass sheet (or other transparent material) used to manufacture the display panel needs to be at least about 0.5 mm thick to withstand the manufacturing rigors. Thinner glass sheets can cause handling problems during the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, the methods disclosed in various embodiments of the present disclosure allow for a thin display panel with a thickness of less than 0.5 mm that is manufactured using existing manufacturing equipment. In one embodiment, the thin glass sheet can be bonded to the support substrate, so that when the thin film process is performed on the surface of the thin glass sheet during manufacture, the combined thickness of the glass sheet and the support substrate is It can be less than about 0.5 mm. The thin glass sheet and the support substrate are bonded by oxidizing the regions of the thin glass sheet and the support substrate, bringing the oxidized regions into contact with each other, and heating the oxidized region to bond the thin glass sheet and the support substrate. can do. The thin glass sheet subjected to this process can be finally separated from the support substrate and optionally divided into a plurality of thin display panels to fit into the final product.

6 is an exemplary process in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 6 is an exemplary process in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 6 is an exemplary process in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 6 is an exemplary process in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 6 is an exemplary process in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 6 is an exemplary process in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is an exemplary adhesion region on a surface of a thin glass sheet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 6 is an exemplary process in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is an exemplary adhesion region on a surface of a thin glass sheet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 4 is an exemplary cutting step in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 4 is an exemplary cutting step in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 4 is an exemplary chemical etching process according to a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 5 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is an exemplary digital media player having a display panel manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is an exemplary mobile phone having a display panel manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is an exemplary mobile computer having a display panel manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is an exemplary desktop computer having a display panel manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is an exemplary computing system including a touch sensor panel manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  In the following description of the preferred embodiments, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and are shown by way of illustration of specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be used and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

  The present invention relates to the manufacture of thin display panels. As mentioned above, existing equipment for manufacturing display panels is designed with a minimum thickness tolerance of about 0.5 mm. This is because the glass sheet (or other transparent material) used to manufacture the display panel needs to be at least about 0.5 mm thick to withstand the manufacturing rigors. Thinner glass sheets can cause handling problems during the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, the methods disclosed in various embodiments of the present disclosure allow for a thin display panel with a thickness of less than 0.5 mm manufactured using existing manufacturing equipment. In one embodiment, the thin glass sheet can be bonded to the support substrate, so that when the thin film process is performed on the surface of the thin glass sheet during manufacture, the combined thickness of the glass sheet and the support substrate is It can be less than about 0.5 mm. The thin glass sheet and the support substrate are bonded by oxidizing the regions of the thin glass sheet and the support substrate, bringing the oxidized regions into contact with each other, and heating the oxidized region to bond the thin glass sheet and the support substrate. can do. The thin glass sheet subjected to this process can be finally separated from the support substrate and optionally divided into a plurality of thin display panels to fit into the final product.

  Although embodiments of the present disclosure are described and illustrated herein with respect to manufacturing display panels from thin glass sheets, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those panels and substrates, It will be appreciated that the present invention is generally applicable to other types of circuit panels, such as touch sensor panels manufactured from a thin substrate. In addition, 0.5 mm is used herein as an exemplary minimum thickness tolerance for existing equipment, and embodiments are described as suitable for manufacturing display panels thinner than 0.5 mm. . However, it will be appreciated that the minimum thickness tolerance of display panel (and other types of circuit panel) manufacturing equipment can vary and will improve over time. Nevertheless, embodiments of the present disclosure are useful for manufacturing panels having a thickness that is less than the exemplary minimum thickness tolerances described herein.

  1A-1E illustrate exemplary steps of a display manufacturing process using a support substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1A, a thin glass sheet 100 having a thickness of less than 0.5 mm may be provided for display panel manufacture. In addition to the thin glass sheet 100, a support substrate 102 may also be provided. The support substrate 102 can be another glass substrate. In other embodiments, the support substrate 102 can be a different substrate. The combined thickness of the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 can meet the minimum requirements of existing equipment for performing thin film processes on the glass substrate.

The thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 are then bonded together to form an adhesive structure. In one embodiment, the adhesion between the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 can be promoted by an adhesive. In various embodiments, the adhesive can be applied to either a thin glass sheet or a support substrate. For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, a region on one of the surfaces of the thin glass sheet 100 can be oxidized with an adhesive 101 such as silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ). Similarly, a region on the surface of the thin plate supporting substrate can be oxidized with the adhesive 103. Other possible adhesives include, but are not limited to, epoxies, silicone adhesives, glass frit bonding, metallization (eg, solder), acrylics, urethanes, synthetic rubbers, and elastomers. These adhesives can be applied as adhesives in liquid (or gel) or adhesive tape.

  The adhesive can be applied to the surfaces of the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 in a predetermined pattern. For example, as shown in the plan view of the rectangular thin glass sheet 200 of FIG. 2A, the adhesive can be applied continuously with a thin strip 202 along the edge region of the thin glass sheet 200. In essence, the thin strip 202 of adhesive can form an adhesive region on the thin glass sheet 200. Although not shown, this adhesive allows the adhesive region 202 of the thin glass sheet 200 and the adhesive region of the support substrate 102 to substantially overlap when the thin glass sheet 200 and the support substrate are brought into contact with each other. Alternatively, it can be applied on one surface of the support substrate in a matching pattern.

  In another example, the adhesive can be deposited in a discontinuous pattern 202 'along the edge region on the top surface of the thin glass sheet 200', as shown in FIG. 2B. Similarly, the adhesive can be deposited in a matching pattern on the surface of the support substrate (not shown). As long as the pattern can sufficiently bond the thin glass sheet and the support substrate, and the support substrate has sufficient rigidity to withstand subsequent processes, the adhesive is not what is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. It will also be appreciated that different patterns can be deposited. 2A and 2B illustrate a rectangular thin glass sheet 200, 200 ', it will be understood that the thin glass sheet 200, 200' may be square, circular, or any other shape. The adhesion area on each thin glass sheet may vary depending on the shape of the thin glass sheet.

  Referring to FIG. 1C, after the adhesive is applied to the surfaces of the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102, the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 are bonded together by the adhesives 101 and 103, and the sandwich structure 104. Can be formed. In one embodiment, this adhesion is achieved by aligning the adhesion area on one surface of the thin glass sheet 100 and the adhesion area on the opposite surface of the support substrate 102 and bringing the adhesion areas into contact with each other, Can be promoted. Once in contact, the two substrates can be bonded together by bonding between the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate under appropriate conditions such as appropriate temperature and / or pressure. In another embodiment, when a thin glass sheet is bonded to another glass substrate, both substrates may already be oxidized and bonded by application of temperature and / or pressure.

In embodiments where SiO ₂ is used as an adhesive and is deposited on the adhesion area of both substrates, the adhesion area can be oxidized. When the oxidized bonded regions are brought into contact with each other and annealed, a bond is formed, and the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 can be effectively bonded. After the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 are bonded together, the outer surface of the thin glass sheet can optionally be ground and / or polished before further processing.

  Although the thin glass sheet 100 may not be of sufficient thickness suitable for processing by existing manufacturing equipment, this sandwich has a thickness that is greater than or equal to the combined thickness of the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102. Which can meet the minimum thickness requirements of existing manufacturing equipment. For example, when a thin glass sheet having a thickness of 0.1 mm is bonded to a support substrate having a thickness of 0.5 mm, the bonding structure may have a thickness of at least 0.6 mm, which is the thickness of an existing manufacturing facility. Exceeds 0.5mm requirement. In this way, the sandwich of the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 can be processed by existing manufacturing equipment without modifying the equipment.

  In an embodiment where the adhesive is continuously deposited around the edge region, the thin glass sheet 200 and the support substrate are bonded around the edge region, as shown in FIG. 2A. Since this adhesive region can form a continuous strip 202 along the edge of the thin glass sheet 200, the adhesion between the thin glass sheet 200 and the support substrate is between the thin glass sheet 200 and the support substrate. An inherent seal can be formed. In some embodiments, the sealed space between the thin glass sheet 200 and the support substrate improves the rigidity of the adhesive structure and improves the compatibility of the vacuum and wet processes performed on the adhesive structure. To improve, a vacuum can be applied. On the other hand, the segmented adhesive region 202 'of FIG. 2B can require less adhesive. However, the space between the thin glass sheet 200 'and the support substrate in the bonding structure cannot be sealed. In various embodiments, a layer of inert material can be deposited in a region outside the adhesion region to prevent the thin glass sheet from adhering to the support substrate in that outer region. An example of such an inert material is silicon nitride (SiNx).

  Referring to FIG. 1D, a thin film and lithography / etch process may be performed on the sandwich 104 to form a thin film pattern 108 on the outer surface 110 of the thin glass sheet 100. In one embodiment, a thin film transistor (TFT) process can be performed on the thin glass sheet 100. The TFT process includes depositing one or more thin film semiconductor active layers, dielectric layers, and metal contacts on the surface 110 of the thin glass sheet 100, and patterning the deposited layers. May be included. In other embodiments where a thin glass sheet 100 is used to produce other types of circuit panels, such as touch sensor panels, the thin film and lithography / etch process includes indium tin oxide (ITO). And the like, and patterning by depositing a transparent material such as) can be formed, thereby forming conductive traces (eg, sensing lines and driving lines) for transmitting touch signals of the touch sensor panel. . Alternatively, or in addition, the thin film pattern 108 may include a metal layer that includes metal traces for signal paths. Alternatively or in addition, the thin film pattern 108 can be used as an antireflective material. Alternatively, or in addition, the thin film pattern 108 can be used as a protective layer and can include a ceramic material or any other material with similar protective properties. The type of thin film used and the pattern formed can be determined by the ultimate use of the circuit panel made from the thin glass sheet 100. It should be noted that this thin film and lithography / etching process does not result in coating or patterning of the support substrate 102 in this embodiment. That is, no layer or pattern is deposited anywhere on the surface 112 of the support substrate 102.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1E, the patterned thin glass sheet 100 can be separated from the support substrate 102. This separation can be performed using any suitable method. In one embodiment, the thin glass sheet 100 and the support substrate 102 can be mechanically separated by cutting the glass. 3A provides a plan view of the thin glass sheet 200 of FIG. 2A with four scribe lines (generally 300) added thereto, and the thin glass sheet 200 can be cut along these lines. . As shown, each of the four scribe lines 300 is substantially parallel to the respective edge of the rectangular thin glass sheet 100 and forms a square just inside the bonded area. Each scribe line 200 may extend from one edge of the thin glass sheet 200 to the opposite edge. Actual cutting can be performed using mechanisms such as scribing and breaking, water jet cutting, and laser scribing.

  FIG. 3B provides a side cross-sectional view of thin glass sheet 200 cut along scribe line 300. Since the thin glass sheet 200 and the support substrate 304 are only bonded by the adhesive in the thin bonding region 202, when the thin glass sheet 200 and the support substrate 304 are bonded, a central portion 306 of the thin glass sheet 200 is obtained. Is not in contact with any part of the support substrate 304. Thus, by cutting along the scribe line 300 using the cutting tool 302, the central portion 306 of the thin glass sheet 200 can be separated from the rest of the adhesive structure. The separated central portion 306 of the thin glass sheet 200 may have a desired thickness for final product mounting (ie, the thickness of the thin glass sheet) without having to perform additional thinning steps. In some embodiments where the thin glass sheet 200 is large in size, the central portion 306 separated from the adhesive structure can be further cut into a matrix or an array of small portions, each used as a display circuit in the final product. can do. As a result, a large number of display panels can be efficiently manufactured.

  In other embodiments, the number, length, and position of the scribe lines can be many, such as the size and shape of the thin glass sheet, the pattern of the adhesive region, the desired shape and size of the thin glass sheet portion that is cut from the adhesive structure. May vary depending on the elements of and can vary.

  Alternatively, the thin glass sheet can be separated from the support substrate also by chemical etching of the adhesive. FIG. 3C shows an exemplary chemical etching process for adhesive 202 'between thin glass sheet 202' and support substrate 304 '. The etching process can ultimately remove this adhesive completely, thereby releasing the thin glass sheet 200 'from the support substrate 304'.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operations in a display panel manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Initially, a thin glass sheet and support substrate can be provided (401). The thin glass sheet may have a thickness that is less than the minimum thickness required by existing display panel manufacturing equipment. However, the combined thickness of the thin glass sheet and the support substrate can be greater than or equal to the minimum thickness required by existing equipment. This support substrate may also be a glass substrate. Next, an adhesive can be deposited on the surface of the thin glass sheet and / or the support substrate (402). The adhesive may be an oxidizing agent (eg, SiO ₂ ) that oxidizes at least a region on the surface of the thin glass sheet and a region on the surface of the support substrate. The thin glass sheet and the support substrate can then be bonded with an adhesive (403). This may require, for example, heating the thin glass sheet and the support substrate to form an oxide layer from the adhesive between the two substrates.

  After bonding the thin glass sheet and the support substrate to form a sandwich, a thin film process and / or other type of process is performed on the sandwich to modify the thin glass sheet into one or more display panels. Can do. This process step can be performed using this manufacturing facility because the thickness of the sandwich can be adapted to existing manufacturing facility requirements. Finally, the thin glass sheet in process can be separated from the support substrate by mechanical means or chemical etching or any other suitable method (405). The separated thin glass sheet can optionally be divided into a plurality of parts, each of which can be a display panel attached to the final product. Unlike conventional display panel manufacturing processes, the resulting thin glass sheet is thin enough that the processed glass sheet can be used as is, and does not require additional thinning steps.

  Although the above-described embodiments are aimed at producing one or more display panels from a single thin glass sheet, the same process is easily adopted for the production of other types of circuit panels such as touch sensor panels. It will be understood that it can be done. It will also be appreciated that depending on the actual panel being manufactured, the thin substrate used for manufacturing can be a substrate other than glass. In addition, it will be appreciated that the processes performed on the adhesive structure are not limited to those described herein and may include any type of process in circuit panel manufacturing. Similarly, the mechanism for separating two substrates is not limited to that described herein, and any known method suitable for use in a manufacturing process such as that described in the above embodiments. Can be included.

  FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary digital media player 510 that may include a thin display panel 515 manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary mobile phone 520 that may include a thin display panel 525 manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary personal computer 544 that may include a display device 530 manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  FIG. 5D illustrates an exemplary desktop computer 590 that includes a display device 592 manufactured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  The devices (or device components) of FIGS. 5A-5D can achieve weight reduction utilizing thin display panels manufactured according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

  FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing system 600 that may include one or more DITO or SITO touch sensor panels manufactured according to the above disclosed embodiments. The computing system 600 may include one or more panel processors 602 and peripheral devices 604 and a panel subsystem 606. Peripheral device 604 may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM) or other types of memory or storage devices, watchdog timers, and the like. Panel subsystem 606 may include, but is not limited to, one or more sensing channels 608, channel scan logic 610, and drive logic 614. Channel scan logic 610 can access RAM 612, autonomously read data from the sense channel, and provide control of the sense channel. In addition, the channel scan logic 610 can control the drive logic 614 to generate stimulus signals 616 at various frequencies and phases that can be selectively applied to the drive lines of the touch sensor panel 624. In some embodiments, the panel subsystem 606, the panel processor 602, and the peripheral device 604 can be integrated into a single application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

  Touch sensor panel 624 may include a capacitive sensing medium having a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sensing lines, although other sensing media may be used. Either or both of the drive line and the sensing line can be connected to the thin glass sheet according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Each intersection of drive lines and sense lines can be a capacitive sense node, which can be viewed as an image element (pixel) 626. This is particularly useful when viewing the touch sensor panel 624 as capturing an “image” of the touch. (In other words, after the panel subsystem 606 determines whether or not a touch event is detected by each touch sensor in the touch sensor panel, the touch sensor pattern in the multi-touch panel in which the touch event has occurred is represented by an “image” ( For example, a finger pattern touching the panel, etc.) Each sensing line of the touch sensor panel 624 can drive a sensing channel 608 in the panel subsystem 606.

  Computing system 600 also includes a host processor 628 for receiving output from panel processor 602 and performing an action based on the output, such as moving an object such as a cursor or pointer, scrolling or Panning, adjusting control settings, opening files or documents, displaying menus, making selections, executing instructions, operating peripheral devices connected to the host device, telephone Answering, making a call, hanging up, changing the volume or voice settings, storing information related to telephone communication such as address, frequently dialed numbers, incoming calls, unanswered calls, Log on to a computer or computer network Approving individuals to access restricted areas of a computer or computer network, loading user profiles according to user desktop preferred placement, accessing web content, starting specific programs, messages May include, but are not limited to, encrypting or decrypting and / or the like. The host processor 628 may also perform additional functions that may not be related to the panel process and connect to a display device 630 such as a program storage device 632 and an LCD panel for providing a UI to the device user. Can do. The display device 630, together with the touch sensor panel 624, can form a touch screen 618 when partially or fully disposed under the touch sensor panel.

  One or more of the functions described above are implemented by firmware stored in memory (eg, one of the peripheral devices 604 of FIG. 6) and executed by the panel processor 602 or stored in the program storage 632 and host It can be executed by the processor 628. Firmware is also used or used by instruction execution systems, devices, or devices such as computer-based systems, processor-embedded systems, or instruction execution systems, devices, or other systems that can fetch instructions from and execute the instructions. It can be stored and / or transported within a connected, permanent computer-readable storage medium. In the context of this specification, a “permanent computer-readable storage medium” may be any medium that can contain or store a program that is used by or connected to an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. Permanent computer readable storage media include electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices or devices, portable computer disks (magnetic), random access memory (RAM) (magnetic) , Read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW or other portable optics A flash memory such as a disk or a compact flash card, a secure digital card, a USB memory device, and a memory stick can be mentioned, but not limited thereto.

  Firmware is also used or used by instruction execution systems, devices, or devices such as computer-based systems, processor-embedded systems, or instruction execution systems, devices, or other systems that can fetch instructions from and execute the instructions. Propagation is possible in the connected transport medium. In the context of this specification, a “transport medium” can be any medium that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program that is used or connected to by an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Transportable readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or infrared, wired or wireless propagation media.

  According to one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a display panel from a thin substrate using a support substrate includes depositing an adhesive on the first surface of the thin substrate, depositing the adhesive on the second surface of the support substrate. A step of bonding the thin substrate and its supporting substrate with an adhesive deposited on the first surface and the second surface, and performing a thin film process on the third surface opposite to the first surface of the thin substrate. And separating the thin substrate on which the process has been performed from the support substrate, the thin substrate having a thickness less than that required to withstand a thin film process while being bonded to the thin substrate. The thickness of the thin substrate and the support substrate is equal to or greater than the necessary thickness.

  According to another embodiment, the thin substrate is glass.

  According to another embodiment, the support substrate is glass.

According to other embodiments, the adhesive is one of SiO ₂ , epoxy, silicone adhesive, glass frit bonding, metallization (eg, solder), acrylic, urethane, synthetic rubber, and elastomer.

  According to another embodiment, the at least one display layer includes a liquid crystal display thin film transistor layer.

  According to another embodiment, the step of bonding the thin substrate and the support substrate includes the step of oxidizing one region on the first surface of the thin substrate, the step of oxidizing one region on the second surface of the support substrate, The method further includes forming an oxide layer by annealing between the oxidized region on the first surface and the oxidized region on the second surface of the support substrate.

  According to other embodiments, the adhesive is deposited in a continuous pattern along the edge region of the first surface.

  According to another embodiment, the bond between the thin substrate and the support substrate forms a seal that seals the space between the thin substrate and the support substrate.

  According to other embodiments, the space is a vacuum.

  According to other embodiments, the adhesive is deposited in a segmented pattern on the first surface.

  According to another embodiment, performing the thin film process on the thin substrate further includes performing a TFT process.

  According to another embodiment, the step of separating the thin substrate that has performed the process from the support substrate includes the step of disposing a plurality of scribe lines on the third surface of the thin substrate, and cutting along the plurality of scribe lines. And a step of separating a part of the thin substrate from the support substrate.

  According to one embodiment, the plurality of scribe lines define an outer boundary of the display panel.

  According to another embodiment, the chassis includes a metal chassis having a rectangular ring shape, and attaching the second strip of light emitting diodes includes attaching the second strip of light emitting diodes to the metal chassis with tape.

  According to another embodiment, the second strip of light emitting diodes includes a light emitting diode on a flexible printed circuit board, wherein attaching the second strip of light emitting diodes includes attaching the flexible printed circuit board to the chassis with a tape. .

  According to another embodiment, the plurality of scribe lines includes four scribe lines that form a rectangle.

  According to another embodiment, the method further includes dividing the separated, processed thin substrate into a plurality of display panels.

  According to another embodiment, separating the processed thin substrate from the support substrate further includes chemically etching the adhesion between the thin substrate and the support substrate.

  According to another embodiment, the required thickness is 0.5 mm.

  According to one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a display panel from a thin glass sheet includes oxidizing a region on the first surface of the thin glass sheet, providing a support substrate, and a region on the second surface of the support substrate. The step of oxidizing the thin glass sheet and the support substrate by annealing in the oxidized region, the step of performing a thin film process on the third surface of the thin glass sheet opposite to the first surface of the thin glass sheet As well as separating the processed thin glass sheet from the support substrate by cutting along a plurality of scribe lines arranged on the third surface of the thin glass sheet.

  According to another embodiment, the support substrate is a glass substrate.

  According to other embodiments, the thin glass sheet has a thickness that is less than that required to withstand a thin film process, while the thickness of the bonded thin glass sheet and support substrate is the required thickness. That's it.

  According to another embodiment, oxidizing a region of the first surface of the thin glass sheet includes depositing an adhesive on the first surface.

According to other embodiments, the adhesive is one of SiO ₂ , epoxy, silicone adhesive, glass frit bonding, metallization (eg, solder), acrylic, urethane, synthetic rubber, and elastomer.

  According to another embodiment, oxidizing the region of the second surface of the support substrate includes depositing an adhesive on the second surface.

According to other embodiments, the adhesive is one of SiO ₂ , epoxy, silicone adhesive, glass frit bonding, metallization (eg, solder), acrylic, urethane, synthetic rubber, and elastomer.

  According to another embodiment, the cutting along the plurality of scribe lines is performed by water jet cutting.

  According to another embodiment, the cutting along the plurality of scribe lines is performed by laser scribing.

  While embodiments of the present disclosure have been fully described with reference to the accompanying figures, it should be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be understood that such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (25)

A method of manufacturing a display panel from a thin substrate using a support substrate,
Depositing an adhesive on the first surface of the thin substrate;
Depositing an adhesive on the second surface of the support substrate;
Bonding the thin substrate and the support substrate with the adhesive deposited on the first surface and the second surface;
Performing a thin film process on a third surface of the thin substrate opposite to the first surface;
Separating the thin substrate that has undergone the process from the support substrate,
The method, wherein the thin substrate has a thickness that is less than that required to withstand a thin film process, but the thickness of the bonded thin substrate and the support substrate is greater than or equal to the required thickness.   The method of claim 1, wherein the thin substrate is glass.   The method of claim 1, wherein the support substrate is glass. The method of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is one of SiO ₂ , epoxy, silicone adhesive, glass frit bonding, metallization (eg, solder), acrylic, urethane, synthetic rubber, and elastomer. . The step of bonding the thin substrate and the support substrate includes:
Oxidizing a region on the first surface of the thin substrate;
Oxidizing a region on the second surface of the support substrate;
The method further comprises: forming an oxide layer by annealing between the oxidized region of the first surface of the thin substrate and the oxidized region of the second surface of the support substrate. Method.   The method of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is deposited in a continuous pattern along an edge region of the first surface.   The method according to claim 6, wherein the adhesion between the thin substrate and the support substrate forms a seal that seals a space between the thin substrate and the support substrate.   The method of claim 7, wherein the space is a vacuum.   The method of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is deposited in a segmented pattern on the first surface.   The method of claim 1, wherein performing a thin film process on the third surface of the thin substrate further comprises performing a TFT process. Separating the thin substrate that has undergone the process from the support substrate;
Arranging a plurality of scribe lines on the third surface of the thin substrate;
The method of claim 1, further comprising cutting along the plurality of scribe lines to separate a portion of the thin substrate from the support substrate.   The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of scribe lines define an outer boundary of the display panel.   The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of scribe lines includes four scribe lines forming a rectangle.   The method of claim 1, further comprising dividing the separated, processed thin substrate into a plurality of display panels.   The method of claim 1, wherein separating the thin substrate that has undergone the process from a support substrate comprises chemically etching the adhesion between the thin substrate and the support substrate.   The method of claim 1, wherein the required thickness is 0.5 mm. A method of manufacturing a display panel from a thin glass sheet,
Oxidizing a region on the first surface of the thin glass sheet;
Providing a support substrate;
Oxidizing a region on the second surface of the support substrate;
Bonding the thin glass sheet and the support substrate in the oxidized region by annealing;
Performing a thin film process on the third surface of the thin glass sheet opposite to the first surface;
Separating the thin glass sheet subjected to the process from the support substrate by cutting along a plurality of scribe lines disposed on the third surface of the thin glass sheet.   The method according to claim 17, wherein the support substrate is a glass substrate.   While the thin glass sheet has a thickness that is thinner than necessary to withstand a thin film process, the thickness of the bonded thin glass sheet and the support substrate is equal to or greater than the required thickness. The method of claim 17.   The method of claim 17, wherein oxidizing the region on the first surface of the thin glass sheet further comprises depositing an adhesive on the first surface. Wherein the adhesive, SiO _2, epoxy, silicone adhesives, glass frit bonding, metallization (e.g., solder), is one of acrylic, urethane, synthetic rubber and elastomers, The method of claim 20 .   The method of claim 17, wherein oxidizing the region of the second surface of the support substrate further comprises depositing an adhesive on the second surface. Wherein the adhesive, SiO _2, epoxy, silicone adhesives, glass frit bonding, metallization (e.g., solder), acrylic, urethane, synthetic rubber, and is one of the elastomers, the method of claim 22.   The method of claim 17, wherein cutting along the plurality of scribe lines is performed by water jet cutting.   The method of claim 17, wherein cutting along the plurality of scribe lines is performed by laser scribing.

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